New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-07-17
GEMS AND GEM-HUNTING.
THE TRICKS OF The LApIDARrs TRADE.

HOW MEN HAVE BEEN MADE POOR BY SUPPOSED
DISCOVERIES OF DIAM0NDA
"No air." said the expert spreading out his ringess
fingers and sroking his chainess waistcoat II doRs
wear any jswelry whatsoever"
"And what the reason Of that" asked tho reporter
"simpy that don't approve Of those who sre In the
trade doing go For thing It causes bother with Gus
TONER'S who are likely to compare what you have on
with what you ofer them, and altogether think IL
better to do without It Ihavs gold Gun buttons 81 you
see but think I'll discard them, too"
"Are any native diamonds worn In this country
"well only about 100 American diamonds have been
found as yet, but dare say few arc worn nero
There would be plenty If all tine alleged diamond nna.
had been genuine. Why there have been o. ieass
100000 bogus finds! welLknown firms like Tnany
Co. are perfectly pestered by geniuses who can't tell
bit of cut glass gems of the first water TIFFANY
Co. get as many as twenty thirty letters Of inquiry In
q week"
"But tho genuine finds were mostly discovered BY &C.
cident, weren't theyi"
"That,, true enough. Tho first American diamond
tho Oniuoor as 1t was ohristened-was picked up
at Manchester. Va, In 1855 by q laborer Then
you will remember the native diamond that came to
Tifany's about year ago. They sent their mheraIo
gist George Kunz to inquire about recently anu nc
learned that 1t had found by small boy called
Willie Christie the Alfred Bright farm, near Dysart
yille Mcdowell County, n c. sixteen and onehaf miles
from Morganton and twelve from Marion. He got It on
the side OF little hill, spring He was attracted
by its ustre took II home and put on shelf Tor Two
weeks. Then he showed 1t to o village storekeeper.
man who had in the South African diamond mines
was called and he Immediately tried to buy IT, beginning
by Offering SIS, and finally offering $780, But ne didn't get
IT. and 1t sent to Tiffany Co. ana pougns Ny 'nem
for handsome sum-"
"Are people who well informed on the subject ever
misled by stoneP
swell some are fooled who. you would think, should
know better. Now. there was certain geoiogist-i
won't me non hls name for he's dead-and he once sent
a common paste imitation to ajeweller as genuine bu
could tell you some queer things about him. He was
kind OF John the Baptist OF diamonds. He had an idea
that there we're diamonds at the place where he hvod
aud he wasted good deal OF his time In grubong around
and in prophesyng about It, He would get upon stump
and Shout AS truly and surely as the laws OF nature
are immutabe surely will diamonds be found IN THIS
here locaItyg But they haven't been yet Diamond
seeking cranks would make more money In dry goods
They always remind me the old schoobook story OF
Whsne the Chinese miller Old Whang ran grinding
mill In the nowery land tno pun nended); and ne Tell 70
dreaming about lot Of treasure buried Deneatn
the stone of his old mill For two nights ne
laid the blame on heavy supper OF birds nests but the
third uight dreamed that Identical dream once more
so he banged OF bed and yelled You git to Mira w
be mandarin as sure as my names &hasg
didn't rest till the old place was eyelled Lastly tne
treasure &c. seeing he had brought beggary him
self, he hanged himself with MS own plgtaiL"
" How did he manage that r.
"Oh don't Cut It of first, most likely. That's
not the int It's the moral OF tho tale that's worth S re-
nnds. They have their moral. too, and think would
Of the average local. country expert they have caused
no end OF trouble anxiety and expense Ivy their hasty
low called James NJ smith poashman, at Gibsonville
Guilford turned up what he thought was gem with
ms who went through some farce Of examining i with
microscope. and said 1t contained various small dia
he was going to make lots OF money. He took trip TO
New-YorK. and was at jewellers at o'clock in the
morning. only learn that his treasure was pretty
quartz pebble worth tn, perhaps about 30
Y: I'M he's not the only victim OF qua-tz-with
g. OF course know OF lady who kept supposed ga
ond for thirty years and then was raely disousea oy
being toid ny al eAPe'' 'u"' !" was '"' qD"'~
IL there ever diamond ruroro' over a supposed
"oh. yes; its as bad as the gold fever and turns
ago the people OF Danbury n o.. had time they won't
forget In hurry. James Pepper, farmer there picked
nm diamond-lke stone while ne was plonghing These
ands are made that way often. He submitted 10 to the
local Ieweer, aud overwhelmed with delight to
ea ana aor az Well sir the Whole village
went r. ploughing for diamonds Tho farmers reapoi
land; AMI whenever hen made sorape and sat down
in IL she got peace TIL all the damondhune hadex-
anime A. IL was lively for the hens and they were
had TO get into so many scrapes in day
that they mus" Sawf S''nea OF tbs ss ey
dust but diamonds and when at last old man Pepper
ant IFS
expert that It was quartz crystal there was bigger
how a yedo than bank allure makes lthinK thereH
And It's not only diamonds that people get left on"
continued the expert, tanning himself such thing
ton. None OF that size has been found yet but a
+. Of had ES oSe Sssn Would %ss
ak ounces cutting of all the roughness as he ex
He was so Of a ne @e o
account send it to any one on APPROPRIATION he got our
that was worthless dashed all his hopes TO the ground
People must regard you experts as very mslevolent
thew do sometimes get tho there's
thing wrong Now, the fact is there's often something
color have been sent from NewMe xico to the East and
an expert has discovered that on dipping them In ammo
Now green worth only $40 would bring $1,000
blue The natives OF Arkansas are also up to
found there but tourists so fond OF the stones and
bought and o oa 80 20 @ sS
had yielded him, hit an ingenious plan for making
box and let a stream OF them. with the
result that they were worn Into the desired size and
But you don't to tell me that there Is trick
ing on the part otthe ewellersP
OH for that matter, they up TO lodges
wish you would warn ladies who have horror OF i'm
teon Diamonds that 6,,r wsen they wear Lake
monds as well AS Rhinestones. they arc wearing
nothing more nor less than what 1. technically
called lead paste Here's something else great
many people lind transparent pebbles take them to DO
cut often get back stone twice tho size OF the orig
nal Sometimes they notice the difference, but geper
ally thsy don't Well now. suppose you take an inter
esting walk with your young lady, hnd pebble, and In
tend to have 1t aud presented to her a Of
the OCCASION You carry II to apidary What does the
lapinry do As your back Is turned he chucks
your pebble out window. selects readycu
from his collection the size OF yours possible
II he can't get exactly the same he takes bigger
one thus showing o sublime knowledge OF human nat
ure You call pay for the cutting and your girl wears
the lapdarys stone cOntentedly. Where ignorance is
bliss you know The fact is that these readycut peb
blcs can brought from abroad at about oneenth the
cos OF cutting. They are extremely common In some
countries
"Now, I'll give away more interesting fact At
one OF fashionable watering pacesI dare say about
the most fashionable in the Northern statosthe local
lapdary does nice business IN moonstones this Is how
he does lie has few view and II stranger asks
about them he told that they to be found the
beach. aud that they we'll worth looking for Tho
guileless straghtway begins 10 take his
with his eyes ed the ground.